


Paint Me Like One of Your Gerudo Girls

by PerennialFall



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: And Riju sees the potential in him, Crossdressing, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Link is a sweet summer child when it comes to fashion, Makeup, Male-Female Friendship, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 09:37:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19903621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerennialFall/pseuds/PerennialFall
Summary: The Gerudo Chief has quiet plans to elevate Link's disguise to the next level. The results are surprising, even to him.





	Paint Me Like One of Your Gerudo Girls

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Just a quick one-shot based off a prompt and my own putting makeup on people adventures! No shipping here, only fluff times. :)

**Paint Me Like One of Your Gerudo Girls**  
  
"Hmm. Your eyes are really throwing off my palette," the Gerudo Chief murmured, turning Link's head gently to the side as she inspected his features.  
  
"Maybe a red or an orange would complement them better? Though, I tend to go for the greener shades."  
  
The Hylian Champion swallowed with trepidation, wondering just what he had gotten himself into after agreeing to have his face painted by Riju. She'd hoped to match the admittedly brilliant set of Gerudo clothes he slipped into on his numerous visits to the Capital, and had always thought it a shame that someone as talented at pulling off the ensemble as he was had never so much as _sampled_ a turquoise lipstick or gold glitter.  
  
"... Green's my favourite colour," Link admitted shyly, feeling far more out of his depth when it came to makeup than when it came to slashing at the ankles of a Hinox - or perhaps even stunning a Lynel with a perfectly aimed shot between the eyes.  
  
"Oh? It's certainly tempting with that hair," she agreed. "But I've made my decision. Warm, it is! I can't wait to see what you look like with alizarin red eye-shadow."  
  
Riju tilted the Champion's head against the light emanating from one of the lamps in her room, which, although gentle, had permeated every corner of the abode. A variety of intricately dyed and sewn textiles were draped around the walls and tied to the bedposts, distracting the simple Hylian from the heavily-bangled arms that guided his chin.  
  
"Close your eyes," he'd been instructed.  
  
And then, Riju dipped a brush into one of the pressed powders that sat upon the nearby bench, sweeping it lightly into the creases around his eyes. It took some time for her to build the colour to her standards and then diffuse the crimson beneath Link's lower lids, working carefully under his eyelashes as she did so. Eventually, she stopped to admire her progress. But the lingering pause had prompted the Champion to ask questions.  
  
"... Um, how do I look?"  
  
"I hope this isn't too presumptuous for even a Chief to say. But I've _done it,"_ Riju smiled.  
  
And then, Link opened his eyes.  
  
It hadn't taken any small amount of effort to reel in her enthusiasm for the task. However, once she'd handed Link the mirror, and caught the look of nervousness upon his face melding into fascination, she'd known that this was an afternoon well spent. The Hylian Champion was struck speechless - as he'd blinked back at his own reflection - brushing lightly against the edges of his face with his calloused fingers.  
  
The deep red Riju had selected looked utterly _handsome_ against his complexion, and contrasted intensely against his blue eyes... which, she had decided, resembled the sky more so than the ice in the faraway reaches of the Gerudo Highlands.  
  
"You look beautiful."   
  
" _Wow..._ I... never thought that it would work on me like this. Thank you!"  
  
"Oh, I'm not done yet."  
  
"Wait. There's more involved?" he balked, as the young Gerudo Chief rifled eagerly through the collection of cosmetics on her table for a decent eyeliner.  
  
"Hold still! Or you're going to ruin everything that we've done so far," she warned.  
  
Not wanting to shatter the alluring image he'd just absorbed, Link immediately shut his eyes and locked his head into place. Riju had to stifle a giggle and remind him _not_ to squint before she'd drawn the line of black ink against his upper eyelids, tapering it off neatly into a straight wing.   
  
For the final touches, she'd gotten him to look up towards the ceiling, as she brushed the mascara against his lashes... and then finished it off with _just_ a daub of peachy-red lipstick.  
  
"... Is this... weird for you?" Link had asked her, a little self-consciously as he resisted the urge to bite down onto his lip.  
  
"Weird, how?"  
  
"I mean... being able to paint a man - uh, I mean, _voe_ \- like this. This isn't actually something a lot of Hylian men do either, in our own towns. Is it because I'm... different?"  
  
"I don't have much experience with Hylians... or voes in general," Riju mused. "But from what I've observed, you really are quite the exception, in that you're willing to obey our customs. I have painted your face simply because you have allowed me to, Link. And that is enough for me."  
  
The Hylian Champion smiled warmly in response as he turned his head in the mirror, wishing that he'd captured an image of himself in his regular clothing on the Sheikah Slate for comparison. He was grateful for the adventure. That much was clear.   
  
"... Also, it helps that you have such a cute face," she'd teased.


End file.
